A great piece on the Vietnamese impact on the nail industry ran in today’s Los Angeles Times (“Vietnamese Nail Down the U.S. Manicure Business”). The reporter talks about how the Vietnamese got started in the nail business and clears up once and for all the “Tippi Hedren factor”. We’ve often mentioned how the actress, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” was active in helping Vietnamese refugees get started in the nail industry. Reporter My-Thuan Tran tells the true story with input from Hedren herself and one of the original Vietnamese nail techs, Thuan Le. It’s a great look at how the Vietnamese got involved in the nail industry and how they continue to push forward.

Make sure to check out the story and look at the slideshow. There are some great pictures of Hedren, Le and the rest of the original group of nail techs from Vietnam.